James Tissot & Story Of "The Bunch Of Lilacs"

James Tissot. The Bunch of Lilacs, 1875. Image: Public Domain https://www.wikiart.org/en/james-tissot/the-bunch-of-lilacs

​Right now there is a flowering time for lilacs. It inspired me to write a story about James Tissot's painting "The Bunch of Lilacs", as well as that special visual background of this story, when during 1870's there was a charming interaction of fashionable style, the artist, his muse and romance of spring.

​James Tissot. Relationship Between Fashion & Painting 

​Jacques Joseph Tissot (1836 - 1902) was a french-born painter and illustrator who mainly lived in London between 1871 and 1882. Before moving to London he was a successful painter of Paris society. Living in England he became a highly successful, fashionable painter of small-scale polished depictions of society. Tissot had a brilliant technique, which compensated for lack of depth and insight.

Researchers in fashion history are particularly attracted by Tissot's works, which showcase modern-looking women with great interest and detail. Particularly recognizable in this regard are the works that were made in the 1870's and 1880's, when Tissot literally documented the fashion costumes of the bustle era. 

Tissot's work "The Bunch of Lilacs", which dates back to 1875, is also at the center of attention this time. The artist's special interest in the details of fashionable dress, materiality, fabric texture and the special Victorian atmosphere, at the end of the 19th century, has its own historical background, rooted in his native France. Genre paintings of fashionably dressed women in various scenes of everyday life was Tissot's specialization, was his specialization, but for today's fashion researchers such heritage is a valuable source of cognition, that inspires to tell and create a new stories and study the costumes in their diversity.

Tissot was born in the port town of Nantes, France where he spent his early childhood. His father, Marcel Théodore Tissot, was a successful drapery merchant. His mother, Marie Durand, assisted her husband in the family business and designed hats. Tissot's youth spent in Nantes likely contributed to his frequent depiction of shipping vessels and boats in his later works. It is important to note here that Tissot has also well-documented the modern nautical style outfits of his time. Many of his painted compositions, feature woman dressed in blue-white striped dress.

The involvement of his parents in the fashion industry is believed to have been an influence on his painting style, as he depicted women's clothing in fine detail. By the time Tissot was 17, he knew he wanted to pursue painting as a career. His father opposed this, preferring his son to follow a business profession, but the young Tissot gained his mother's support for his chosen vocation. Around this time, he began using the given name of James. By 1854 he was commonly known as James Tissot; he may have adopted it because of his increasing interest in everything English. [9.]  In other words, in his years spent in England, James Tissot had become a typical dandy that was also  attracted by British culture.

During his mature years in Paris, Tissot also had attraction in everything related to japonisme, including Japanese objects and costumes. Tissot was among many Western artists and designers influenced at the time by Japanese art, fashion and aesthetics. Unlike the genre scenes of fashionable women he painted in London, these paintings represent different types and classes of women, shown in professional and social scenes. 

The artist's biography has a lot of interesting facts about his private life. Tissot has been described as a handsome and successful man who was known as a "skirt chaser''. [ 4.] And yet he remained single all of his life. 

In 1875-1876, Tissot met Kathleen Newton, an Irish divorcée in her early twenties with a four-year-old daughter and a son born on March 21, 1876. [4.] Kathleen Newton became the painter's companion and frequent model. In 1876 she gave birth to a son, Cecil George Newton, who is believed to be Tissot's son. Kathleen moved into Tissot's household in St. John's Wood in 1876 and lived with him until her death in 1882. Tissot frequently referred to these years with Newton as the happiest of his life, a time when he was able to live out his dream of a family life.

After Kathleen Newton's death, Tissot returned to Paris. A major exhibition of his work took place in 1885 at the Galerie Sedelmeyer, where he showed 15 large paintings in a series called La Femme à Paris. this was the period in the life of the artist, which led him to express interest in the culture of Japan and, of course, not to lose, the nuances of aesthetics of the modern city life, which are so colorful as Tissot's work. 

​Lady With the Bunch of Lilacs - Alice Jopling 

In Tissot's paintings, we will see another artist's muse. This is Alice, depicted in the painting "The Bunch of Lilacs" as a spring goddess. Her costume is an anti-thesis of bustle fashion era that mostly reflected saturated motives of "autumn style"... The dress is lightweight, but also - abundantly decorated with ruffles.

Who was a charming lady Alice? Sources say, that Alice was a British painter's Louise Jopling's lovely blonde sister. Louise wrote of Tissot in her autobiography and mentioned that she once attracted painter's interest. 

Alice became the Tissot's model and often appeared in the artist's works during the 1870's. Also in this - "The Bunch of Lilacs", featuring a typical bustle era outfit. Lightness of the fabric has been highlighted with black ribbon accents around arms and as a choker necklace. The bouquet of lilacs perfectly matches to the lightweight dress like the epitome of spring. 

And it seems that it's time to talk about the fashion of that time, whose main extravagance element was - the bustle.

Bustle - an item of  the dress that was pushing out the back portion of a skirt. English term "the bustle", or "tournure" (in French) is being applied to style of dress that was notably fashionable in Europe and the Unites States for most of the 1870's and in the 1880's. 
​
Bustles were worn under the skirt in the back, just below the waist, to keep the skirt from dragging. In the early stages of the fashion for the bustle, the fullness to the back of the skirts was carried quite low and often fanned out to create a train. 
This is exactly what we see in Tissot's painting. 

Lilacs - Fragrance of Spring 

Lilacs Riga, Latvia May 12, 2018. Photo: Edīte Parute

​Lilacs are mentioned in Greek mythology.  It was said that Pan, the god of forests and fields was hopelessly in love with a nymph named Syringa. One day he was pursuing her through a forest and, afraid of his advances, she turned herself into a lilac shrub to disguise herself. To Pan’s surprise, he could not find Syringa, but he did find the shrub. Because a lilac shrub consists of hollow reeds, he cut the reeds and created the first pan pipe. The scientific name for lilac is Syringa vulgaris, and the name is derived from the Greek word “syrinks” which means pipe. [6.] 

And what's in the name? The name "lilac"was borrowed from the French and Spanish word of the same name. Similarly, the Arabic word for this flower is “lilak”. The word lilac refers to the light purple color of its flowers. [6.] 

Persian also has a remarkably similar word – lilak. Sanskrit, had a similar word nilah which means “dark blue” as a color and not necessarily as a flower. [7.] 

Lilacs originated in Southeastern Europe and are a popular part of the Mediterranean culture. They are frequently associated with the Easter holiday, which occurs during the peak of its bloom time.

Lilac meanings vary throughout different cultures and time periods. The Celts regarded the lilac as “magical” due to their incredibly intoxicating fragrance. During the Victorian Age, the giving of a lilac was meant to be a reminder of an old love. In fact, widows were often seen wearing lilacs during this period. By the way, during the bustle fashion era, the lilac shade in the woman's dress was considered as fashionable color. 

Lilacs have one of the earliest blooming times and therefore, they symbolize spring and renewal. Their meaning varies depending on the color.
White lilacs symbolize purity and innocence.
Violet lilacs symbolize spirituality.
Blue lilacs symbolize happiness and tranquility.
Magenta lilacs symbolize love and passion.
Lilac, the color for which this flower is named, is a light purple that symbolizes a first love. [6.] 
​
Tissot's  painting somewhat reminds us of springtime joy,  its fragrance in the air and a strong association with love and romance throughout history.
​

Lilacs Riga, Latvia May 12, 2018. Photo: Edīte Parute

References & Further Reading: 

1. Cumming, R. Art. - London, New York, Munich, Melbourne, Delhi: Dorling Kindersley Limited, 2005.
2. Paquette, L. The Hammock: a novel based on the true story of French painter James Tissot. -  Kindle Edition, 2012.
3.thehammocknovel.wordpress.com/2013/12/20/tissots-la-femme-a-paris-series/
4.thehammocknovel.wordpress.com/2014/01/30/tissots-romances/ ​
​5.thehammocknovel.wordpress.com/2017/06/15/james-tissots-models-a-la-mode/
6.www.ftd.com/blog/share/lilac-meaning-and-symbolism
7.http://www.flowermeaning.com/lilac-flower-meaning/ 
​8.www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/art-institute-impressionism-fashion-james-tissot-muse/Content?oid=10701838
​9.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Tissot
10.www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/438098
11. www.britannica.com/topic/bustle